OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER has challenged his Manchester United squad to win him his first trophy as Old Trafford boss.
The Norwegian celebrated his two-year anniversary in charge at the weekend.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is calling on his players to deliver his first trophy as Manchester United bossCredit: Reuters
The Red Devils have not won a trophy since the Europa League in 2017Credit: Getty – Contributor
And now he is calling on his players to deliver silverware.
United’s last major trophy was the Europa League in 2017 but the club face Everton in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday night.
Solskjaer, who won nine major honours as a player under Sir Alex Ferguson, said: “Yes, of course it is something we’re aiming for.
“We want to improve every season and to improve on last year is to get to the final.
“Of course, when you get to the final, there’s only one thing that matters — and that’s to lift the trophy.
“I remember winning my first trophy. Even towards the end of my career, it was Patrice Evra’s and Nemanja Vidic’s first trophy in the 2006 Carling Cup.
“It does give something to a team. We are desperate to get our hands on a trophy, and these players are desperate to learn how to win.”
Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Bruno Fernandes are among the big-money signings to arrive since the Europa League success in 2017 under Jose Mourinho.
Mason Greenwood, Dean Henderson, Brandon Williams and Scott McTominay have all graduated from the Red Devils academy in that time and hunting trophies with their boyhood clubs.
Solskjaer’s former coach Rene Meulensteen, who worked under Ferguson for six years at Old Trafford, explained why being United boss is the hardest job in football.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the Dutchman said: “They are [in the mix] and everybody is talking about the two games in hand. It shows again what a strange league this is going to be.
“Ole’s been in charge for two years now – he knows that pressure will never go away when you are working for a club like Manchester United.
“It will always be there and people will always find something to criticise.
“He just needs to focus and make he takes every game as it comes. There is no point speculating ‘what ifs’.
“United is probably the most difficult club to work for because you need to play attacking and entertaining football and win games. It is the hardest formula.
“We all saw Mourinho struggling with that and you don’t get away with playing that style week in week out at Manchester United.”
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Brandon Williams, Mason Greenwood and Scott McTominay have broken into the team since United last won a trophyCredit: Reuters
Meulensteen worked as a coach for Solskjaer under Sir Alex FergusonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
